Spincher’s is the first case where ‘Freeze’ has been so widely legitimized as a respond to threat of sexual assault – is that because the target was male? ‘Freeze’ is the poor relative of “Fight or Flight.”
Rape Crisis has 5 responses to threat: Fight, Flight, Freeze, Flop, and Friend
“Flop: similar to freezing, except your muscles become loose and your body goes floppy. This is an automatic reaction that can reduce the physical pain of what’s happening to you. Your mind can also shut down to protect itself.
Friend: calling for a ‘friend’ or bystander for help, for example by shouting or screaming, and/or ‘befriending’ the person who is dangerous, for example by placating, negotiating, bribing, or pleading with them. Again, this is not you giving your attacker consent, it is an instinctive survival mechanism.” I think this is a more positive term that those who use the term ‘Fawn’ which I have seen in reaction to bullying. Sucking up to a bully is a common strategy to avoid further attack or being attacked in the first place. However, seeking support from others is also common. So I’ll stick with Rape Crisis definition are they have the most experience in responses to rape.
It’s seems very strange to me now that women used to be criticized for not fighting back. I think juries still hold these views! Hence the pitifully low conviction rate. No child should leave school with such ignorance intact. BBC 3 did a documentary on Sexual Harassment that I think schools should be screening: https://tinyurl.com/yckpyvcp
#FightorFlight #ReponsesToSexualAssault
